Atonement - Ian McEwan

image via wikipedia

Title: Atonement
writer: Ian McEwan

On a summer in 1935, Briony Tallis, a thirteen year-old aspiring writer, accuses her elder sister’s lover and gardener of a crime he did not commit. He is sent to jail then is sent off to fight during the war, where he is separated from her sister, Cecilia.

Then the novel switches to the future, where Briony is working as a nurse instead of going to Cambridge as a sort of penance. Robbie is at the war and corresponds with Cecilia through letters.

The book tells the story of how Briony tries to atone for the unforgivable, lifelong ruin she has done to Cecilia and Robbie’s lives.

There isn’t a lot to say about Atonement; it was beautifully written. Ian McEwan has writes elegantly and the plot nurtures very smoothly.

It’s was heart-warming, good read that I highly recommend.

My rating: 9/10

Blackbird House - Alice Hoffman

Author: Alice Hoffman

I read this book because it was the only interesting one I had.

Blackbird house is a story that spans for about 200 hundred years, about the families living in a house in Massachusetts called Blackbird House.

Once Coral Hadley loses her sons and husband at sea, tragedy strikes all the next generation of inhabitants of that house. And a bird witnesses all those tragedies.

Each chapter in the book tells the story of the families living in that house. I loved the stories and thought they were very imaginative and delightful. Alice Hoffman is a very good storyteller.

I think this book is similar to One Hundred Years of Solitude, since it does not have a particular plot but it consists of many happenings. In contrast to One Hundred Years of Solitude, it is much shorter.

However, the end didn’t make any sense to me and I didn’t enjoy how it ended.

Blackbird House is a good, short read that will lighten you up.

My rating: 6/10

Click here to read what I thought about One Hundred Years of Solitude

Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

Author: Jay Asher

genre:young adult novel

Although I don’t read teen novels much, I’ve always longed to read this book because according to the review everybody seemed to like it.

Thirteen Reasons Why is about Hannah Baker, a teenager who has recently committed suicide. Before she did, in a set of 7 tapes, she explained the reasons why she ended her life. The tapes should be passed on between the people who impacted on her life, causing her to kill herself; and Clay, her classmate who had a crush on her, is one of the reasons why.

You will be reading what the tapes say, which is in italic, and Clay’s thoughts, which is a normal font. This made it very confusing. After every few lines of the tape comes what was on Clay’s mind, and I often found myself reading on, still thinking it was Hannah on the tape when instead, it was what Clay was thinking.

Another thing I didn’t like about this book was that some parts were longer than necessary, and I sometimes thought of giving up on reading the book.

note: it gets more exciting near the end.

However, what was good in this book was that the idea of the tapes was unique. The book shows what high school is like: the people there and their intentions.

Although Thirteen Reasons Why has good things and bad things, I generally enjoyed reading this book. I think it was a very good story. The ending was also satisfying.

I think everyone liked this book because it was different.

I have learned from it that you should go ahead and say/do whatever in your mind before it’s too late, and that when someone impulsively does a stupid thing to a person, no matter how small, it can affect that person deeply, so you should think twice before doing anything.

If you have read this book, please tell me what you think.

visit the official website of the book

My rating: 8 / 10

Shopaholic Abroad - Sophie Kinsella

image via FantasticFiction.co.uk

Shopaholic Abroad (also called Shopaholic takes Manhattan) is the second book in the best-selling Shopaholic series, by Sophie Kinsella.

This time, Rebecca Bloomwood, the shopaholic, moves to New York, where her boyfriend, Luke, has made a deal. She also has a chance to work there.

New York is a shopping paradise for Rebecca, but can she pay off all her debts and stay with Luke?

Will Rebecca be able to keep her job when Alicia, who works for Luke at Brandon Communications, tries to ruin Rebecca and Luke’s reputation?

Near the end of the book, things start to get more thrilling and you’ll become excited to know what will happen to Rebecca.

This is the first Shopaholic series book I’ve read, and even though I don’t like these types of books, I enjoyed this one. It was downright funny. Even though I wanted to, I couldn’t laugh hard at school or else I would have looked awkward. I adored how the author, Kinsella, wrote the book in Rebecca’s point of view. It was very realistic too.

This was an exhilarating read, but I didn’t find the end satisfying. I also thought some parts were unnecessarily long.

Sophie Kinsella's website

Quizlet - great for studying

Today, I've discovered a highly efficient website, Quizlet, which allows you to create your own flashcards and study them or play other flashcards created by users in order to prepare for tests or quizzes.

I'm giving this site 5 stars and it deserves to be linked at my sidebar. It's also very easy to use.

There are lots of ways to study and help you to memorize things at Quizlet.

I think that teachers and students will really benefit from this site. The good thing is that you could join a group (such as your classmates) and study or edit your flashcards.

Did you know that Quizlet was created by a high-school student? read the Quizlet story

 
Andrew Sutherland, creator of Quizlet

I'd say that Quizlet is superb for studying vocabulary, definitions for any subject and facts of points. I've already created an account and made flashcards for the new words I've discovered and for my Geography test.

Please share Quizlet with your friends.

http://quizlet.com/

Book meme from Booking through Thursday

Hello, this is my first meme which I found on Books Worth Reading. Click here (Booking through Thursday) to do it youself and find other memes.

I’m tagging Meghna and the authors of Taking it further.

What was the last book you bought?
The last e-book I bought was Atonement by Ian McEwan. Actually I used my dad’s credit card…

Name a book you have read MORE than once
The only one is Animal Farm by George Orwell: one of my favorites

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
I don’t know… maybe Tess of the d’Urbervilles, One Hundred years of Solitude…

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
By recommendations and reviews; and for classics: my dad knows the good books

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
I prefer fiction… but I’d also like to try different genres including biographies

What’s more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
The size is very important. I hate those terribly long books, especially classics like Great Expectations. But Harry Potter is an exception.

I think beautiful writing is important, but so is clarity. I don’t like those books when you have to read a sentence twice to understand what it says. A gripping plot is also crucial. I think the best examples are Harry Potter, Agatha Christie books and The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, because he’s witty, and has a bizarre character, and is very fond of himself.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
What’s a nightstand?

What was the last book you’ve read, and when was it?
The last book was One Hundred Years of Solitude… I finished it the day before yesterday at school when typically, the teacher didn’t appear in class

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
No, I don’t even risk reading un-known books which are bad